


Not Like Before

by still_lycoris



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Episode: s01e02 The Harvest, Gen, Sisters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-23 18:42:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6126427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/still_lycoris/pseuds/still_lycoris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dawn listens to Buffy and Joyce argue and hopes that things will be different this time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Like Before

Dawn tried not to listen to Mom and Buffy arguing but it was difficult. The door was open and she’d got used to listening to arguments. You had to listen to them otherwise you didn’t know what was going on.

Hearing it made her feel queasy inside. They’d both promised that moving to Sunnydale would be a new start. That everything would be different and okay and that she wouldn’t have to worry any more about fighting. She’d told herself that everything would be fine, even if she missed Dad. They’d see him all the time anyway, after all. And in the end, everything would be fine.

But Buffy was apparently already cutting classes, just like before. How could she already want to do that? Dawn had barely spoken to anybody in _her_ classes.

Maybe that was why Buffy was skipping school? Maybe she was just scared, hadn’t made any new friends and felt lonely? Even though Buffy was never lonely, she was always popular and everyone thought she was pretty and brilliant …

She waited until Mom was safely downstairs, then sneaked out of her own room and tapped on Buffy’s door.

“Buffy?”

Buffy didn’t answer. Dawn decided to risk peeping in anyway. Sometimes when Buffy fought with Mom, she liked it when Dawn came in and was talked to her. Sometimes Buffy did the same for her, when she wasn’t being a boring big sister and insisting that Mom was right about whatever she was saying.

Buffy wasn’t in her bedroom. And the window was open.

Dawn stared at the open window for a long time, not sure what to do. She _could_ go straight down and tell Mom. Mom could call people, go out looking, find Buffy and bring her home before Buffy got in more trouble. They could get Buffy all sorted out and make things better and it wouldn’t be all awful like it was before and Buffy wouldn’t have to go back to the hospital …

But Buffy would be in so much trouble …

Maybe it was just a one time thing. Maybe Buffy had met a boy and wanted to sneak out and see him. Maybe it was all completely normal and Buffy-like and not weird and creepy and crazy …

Dawn closed Buffy’s door carefully and went downstairs for dinner. She told herself that when she went back upstairs, Buffy would be back. She’d be back and she’d tell Dawn about her new secret boyfriend and it would be kind of cool and funny and not scary.

Everything would be fine.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for 40fandoms


End file.
